June 08, 2026
39 articles published on this date
Small spike in India nuclear stockpile; New Delhi may be deploying 12 warheads in peacetime, a 1st—SIPRI
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2026 reports India's nuclear warhead stockpile has grown from approximately 180 warhead...
Zoji La tunnel set for ‘breakthrough’ blast today: Gadkari to visit corridor that will provide all-weather Kashmir-Ladakh connectivity
The Zoji La Tunnel project reached a pivotal moment as engineers prepared for the final breakthrough blast, which would link the tunnel's eastern and western...
Strategic afterthought: On the Great Nicobar project
The Great Nicobar Island Development Project — an ₹81,000 crore (~USD 9.7 billion) mega-infrastructure initiative on the southernmost island of the Andaman a...
The Oman CEPA, a new gateway for India’s exports
The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed on 18 December 2025, entered into force on 1 June 2026 — making it Oman's first bi...
Trinamool rebellion revives government hopes of passing Delimitation Bill
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 — which seeks to expand the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats and enable delimitation based on the 2011 Census — ...
The trust deficit in India-Bangladesh ties
Bangladeshi diplomatic circles have indicated that Dhaka expected engagement on substantive bilateral issues — particularly the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Wat...
Govt bets on coal gasification projects to cut import dependency, targets Rs 4 lakh crore investment
The Union Coal Ministry has set a target of attracting Rs 4 lakh crore in combined domestic and foreign private investment for coal gasification projects, wi...
West Bengal joins Ayushman Bharat scheme
West Bengal has officially joined the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), becoming the 36th state or Union Territory to implement t...
Phase 1 of India-US trade pact hinges on Section 301 probe, official says
An Indian official confirmed that Phase 1 of the India-US trade agreement cannot be finalised until the USTR concludes its ongoing Section 301 investigations...
Govt cuts subsidised LPG cylinders to Ujjwala beneficiaries to 4
The government has reduced the number of subsidised LPG cylinders (14.2 kg each) available annually to Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries fro...
Asia’s longest tunnel project at Zojila set to achieve breakthrough on Tuesday
On June 9, 2026, the Zojila Tunnel project achieved its breakthrough — the completion of full excavation through 13.15 km of rock, a critical engineering mil...
Bonn Climate Conference 2026: Health groups urge tripling adaptation finance to $120 billion by 2035
At the 64th sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB64), convening in Bonn, Germany (June 8–18, 2026), the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) call...
Centre resumes MGNREGS, PM Awaas scheme in West Bengal
The Central government resumed MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) operations in West Bengal from June 1, 2026, after a suspe...
India deploys active nuclear warheads: What changed in 2025?
The SIPRI Yearbook 2026 reveals that India has moved beyond its traditional "de-mated" peacetime nuclear posture — where warheads are kept separate from deli...
Why RBI is returning to a ‘terrible’ idea to boost foreign inflows
The Reserve Bank of India announced a revival of the Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) — FCNR(B) — deposit swap scheme, under which the RBI will bear the ...
India, US can finalise interim trade pact only after Section 301 investigations concluded, say officials
Finalisation of the India-US interim trade pact has been linked to the conclusion of ongoing Section 301 investigations being conducted by the US Trade Repre...
Iran, Israel trade strikes for first time since ceasefire despite Trump’s efforts to restrain Tel Aviv
Iran and Israel exchanged direct military strikes on June 7–8, 2026 — the first such exchange since the two-week ceasefire brokered on April 8, 2026. The lat...
Chemicals from plastic waste contaminating water sources near Jaipur dumping yard: Study
A year-long scientific study by the Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, found dangerously high concentrations of Bis...
BRICS meeting in Indore to focus on food security, farmer welfare: Chouhan
Indore is hosting the BRICS Agriculture Working Group Meeting (June 9–11, 2026) followed by the BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (June 12–13, 2026) under...
India, MERCOSUR target expanded preferential trade pact by mid-2027
India and MERCOSUR (the South American trade bloc comprising Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia) are targeting the conclusion of an expanded P...
How the government hit its FY26 deficit target despite a subsidy surge
India successfully met its FY26 (2025-26) fiscal deficit target of 4.4% of GDP (Rs 15.7 lakh crore), despite a significant surge in subsidy expenditure durin...
Yemen's Houthis declare 'total ban' on Israeli ships in Red Sea
Yemen's Houthi movement declared a "complete and total ban" on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea on June 8, 2026, announcing that any Israeli vessel...
India posts 0.7% current account surplus in March quarter
India recorded a current account surplus of $7.1 billion (0.7% of GDP) in Q4 FY26 (January–March 2026), reversing the $13.2 billion deficit in the preceding ...
India expands nuclear arsenal to around 190 warheads, says SIPRI Yearbook 2026
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2026 estimates that India has expanded its nuclear arsenal to approximately 190 warhead...
Heat, humidity of India's monsoon could extend summer heat stress as climate warms: study
A peer-reviewed study published in the journal *AGU Advances* warns that India's monsoon season (July–October) could dramatically increase uncompensable heat...
India-Pakistan held 3 rounds of Track II talks after Op Sindoor with focus on conflict management
At least three rounds of Track II diplomatic dialogue have been held between Indian and Pakistani delegations since Operation Sindoor (May 2025), with furthe...
Government defends Great Nicobar development plans, cites strategic and environmental safeguards
The Indian government has formally defended the Great Nicobar Island Development Project (GNIDP) before Parliament and the public, citing the island's strate...
India's current account surplus at $7.1 bn in Q4 FY26, aided by robust services exports and remittances
India recorded a current account surplus of USD 7.1 billion (0.7% of GDP) in Q4 FY26 (January–March 2026), a significant turnaround from a deficit position i...
Rural India’s energy crisis: Why dung cakes still fuel kitchens in Uttar Pradesh villages
Despite over 10.33 crore LPG connections distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) as of July 2025, rural households in Uttar Pradesh contin...
India's Q4 FY26 current account surplus at $7.1 bln, driven by services exports, remittances
India recorded a current account surplus of USD 7.1 billion (0.7% of GDP) in Q4 FY26 (January–March 2026), driven by strong services exports and a sharp rise...
Indians are growing more pessimistic about the economy. RBI Survey shows why
The Reserve Bank of India's bi-monthly Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS), conducted during May 2–11, 2026, covering 6,086 respondents across 19 major cities, ...
Homo erectus fossil yields secrets long thought to be beyond genetics
Chinese scientists have successfully extracted and analysed ancient proteins from the tooth enamel of six Homo erectus individuals who lived in China approxi...
BHAVYA scheme to help attract huge investments, create jobs: Piyush Goyal
The Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana (BHAVYA) scheme with an outlay of ₹33,660 crore to develop 100 plug-and-play industrial parks acr...
100 days of Iran war: India must brace for broad-based economic shock
As the Iran-Israel-US conflict entered its 100th day (beginning from the US launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026), India faces compounding econ...
India inflation likely rose to 4% in May as food, fuel costs climb
India's Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation is estimated to have risen to approximately 4% in May 2026, reaching the RBI's medium-term target for the ...
RBI seen joining Asia’s rate-hike push as inflation risks rise
The Reserve Bank of India faces growing pressure to join a regional rate-hike cycle as inflation risks rise across Asia, driven primarily by surging energy p...
India, US trade pact can be finalised after conclusion of Sec 301 investigations: Official
The broader India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) cannot be finalised until the US Trade Representative (USTR) concludes its ongoing Section 301 investiga...
'Exit the country': India issues advisory as Israel-Iran strikes reignite fears of wider conflict
The Embassy of India in Tehran issued an urgent advisory on June 8, 2026, directing all Indian nationals currently in Iran to exit the country by available m...
India, China should stick to 'right strategic perception' of being cooperative partners, not rivals: Beijing
Chinese authorities have publicly urged India to maintain the framing of their bilateral relationship as that of "cooperative partners" rather than competito...